Old Friends
by harsens-rob
Summary: Spanderverse Story 8: Xander struggles, Spike dreams, Joyce and Tara worry. Buffy faces a past foe and Riley suffers a meltdown. M for Language Warning.
1. Visitation

Disclaimer: Legal stuff, don't own characters, haven't made any money, this is for entertainment purposes, no profit earned, lawyers go away. –_kisses-_

You can comment on this or any Spanderverse stories by visiting the Spanderverse forum under the Buffy topic! You can also read my commentary on 'To Dream', 'After 314' and 'Spike'. Emails are welcome.

POV: Shifts Perspective

Spoiler Alert: There are tidbits from past episodes and Spanderverse: stories.

Notes: Ninth story in the Spanderverse-universe, following "Tensions". Everything from the television series through the defeat of Adam also occurred as depicted, in the Spanderverse. '**Old Friends' takes place the day immediately following 'Tensions'; Chapter 6.**

People's thoughts are depicted in _italics_. You'll find emphasis depicted with an underline.

More Notes: BIG thanks to Joss, the ME creative team and the crew of one of the best shows on television. WE MISS YOU!

Thanks to the authors of Fanfiction, wherever you may post. It's probable that I've read at least one of your stories somewhere. I apologize for recycling concepts inadvertently from the plentitude of stories I've read.

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**Old Friends**

Ch 1- Visitation

**The early morning sun was blinding to the eyes of Xander Harris as he drove the used Taurus to a place he wished he'd never had need to visit. Restfield Cemetery seemed to be a popular choice among the Scoobies and those who revolved in their orbit. His own father was buried there a few months ago. As well, the expansive browning lawn held the remains of Ms. Calendar and the empty grave of Jessie as well. **

**Xander checked the clock in the dashboard of the car. He knew it was unnecessary. He had plenty of time before getting to the site but that didn't stop him from hoping maybe he was running late. With the clock confirming that there was no excuse for putting the transmission into reverse, he exited the vehicle with a sigh. He didn't want to do this. He didn't know why he was. Things with his father and he had never been warm and fuzzy and besides, wherever his father was now, he sure wasn't going to give a shit about Xander's sudden confusions.**

**He supposed he just needed someone to talk to, who couldn't answer back. Somebody, who would allow himself to think through what was going on in his own head. With any luck, talking aloud would also keep Hyena or Commando from answering and confusing the issues any further than they already were.**

**Xander arrived at the simple marker stone for his father. He almost knelt down to touch the stone until he remembered the lawn was dewed still this early. Instead his simply dropped the small bouquet of lilies on the ground before it. It was a weird custom considering that if Xander had ever tried to give his dad flowers in life, he'd probably have gotten a drunken back hand and a lecture on what 'real men' didn't do.**

"**Hey, dad. I, ah, thought…Listen, I'm really just here for the silence, okay? I need to get some stuff off my chest. You see dad, there's some things that have been happening lately in my life. Uh, you remember Anya? Well, we've moved into an apartment together. It wasn't completely my choice, but what's done is done. I'm going to assume that from 'up there' you're kinda clued into this wacky world of ours in a way you weren't before. So, anyway, there was this demon and a spell and everything got a little mixed up.**

**Anyway, um, I've had some, uh, problems…since then. I love Anya, dad. I do. I'm just not sure I'm in love with her. I'm so afraid that I'm going to get caught in something, you know, like you did. I mean, it's not really a secret that you weren't looking to get hitched to mom when you did. I guess that's why you were always so…you…around me. Not that it was my fault, but I'm sorry for the raw deal life gave you. The thing is; I feel like I'm just following somebody else's script. And I don't know if it's 'cause I'm really not meant to be with Anya or if it's just this Hyena shit that's got me so confused.**

**See, dad, there's this vampire. His name is Spike. He's, uh, he's not like Dracula. Well, maybe he used to be, but now he's pulling for our team. Me and Buffy and the rest of us, I mean. We were kinda doing this friendship thing. It wasn't easy. I mean, him trying to kill us all in high school and everything. That's all changed now, though. He's…he's becoming a good man, I think. **

**Anyway, there's this Hyena personality going on in my head and he, um, sorta has more than friendship in mind with Spike. But here's the thing; according to everything Giles said, it's like things I was already thinking and feeling were given form in this other personality. I'm not sure how much of that is true. After all, Commando has downloaded all kinds of stuff into my head now that I didn't know before. But, that original possession was way different." Xander laughed at himself, "I tried to warn you it was all confused in here."**

"**Anyway…so I'm kind of having these thoughts and feelings. And, God- I can't believe I'm going to say this out loud. I'm, uh, I might be sort of falling for Spike a little. I know, I know, I can already here what you'd say about that. 'I always knew you'd be a little queer, Xander. Why do you think I was always trying to make a man outta you.' I'm not though, dad. I mean, I'm not all 'death to faggots' or anything. I'm way more tolerant than you ever were, but I can admit two guys do freak me a bit. So you can imagine how wigged I am these days. But it isn't guys in general! It's just this Spike guy. I don't know what it is about him, but Commando-me says that we've always been on the flirty side of friendship, anyway. I'm trying to remember when I ever flirted with the pale menace and maybe I have been without realizing it. I mean, before Hyena freaked Spike out, we hung out a lot. Not that guys don't do that anyway, but we seemed to touch a lot, you know? Not bad touching! Just…brushing shoulders and putting our arms around each other's necks and stuff. I don't know why I'm thinking that meant anything other than regular old hetero-bonding, except that Hyena and Commando seem to be thinking that's not all it was. At least, not on my end. I don't know. I don't know what I'm doing, dad. **

**This may be the first time that I actually wish you were here to yell some sense into me. What am I gonna do if I'm really…if, uh… Jeezus Criminy, Xander…you're standing in the middle of a cemetery all by yourself. Just say it!"**

**Xander's voice dropped to barely a whisper. He was afraid to say anything any louder. That somehow it would make his fear real. As if just by voicing the possibility, reality would be warped and make his dread flesh. He figured that wasn't really a ridiculous notion, considering he lived in a place where nightmares had become real before. "What if I am in love with Spike?"**

**_Then he'll have fun at calling you a 'poof' at every opportunity, _Xander thought_. Bringing up how you're staring at his ass, whether you are or not, at every Scoobie meeting. Basically he'll treat you like the laughing stock you're becoming. And you'll deserve it. Because this is stupid. The whole thinking about Spike thing and the wanting Spike to at least think about it, too. Your head is becoming a really scary place to be, Xan._**

"**I gotta go, dad. I want to just say hi to Jesse and Jenny. Just to let them know that I haven't forgotten. I know you were never proud of me. I know that no matter what I ever would have done, it wouldn't have been enough. But I want you to know, I'm making good here with the job and the world save-age and, uh, in case there was any worry at all…I'm fine. Mom is good, too. She misses you, still. She's, uh, stopped drinking so much, she says. And Margo is helping mom enroll in Accounting courses. She seems pretty excited. So, um, if you know, you've been waiting…you can go dad. We're going on like we're supposed to and we'll be okay. So, uh, I really gotta get going."**

**Xander bent low at the knees so he could brush his fingertips over the cool surface of the marble placard labeling his father's site. In truth, he didn't feel much better than when he'd come out here. At least, he wasn't feeling any worse. He was pretty sure if he admitted out loud that not all of his interest in Spike as something more than friends was Hyena's doing, that the world would end somehow. It didn't, however. The sun was still too bright. The morning was still too chilly for him to be out here without a jacket. Work was still waiting for him to get in and start the final clean up on the last subdivision housing they'd been working on for months. And he was still left with a hell of a problem on his hands. Would he ever really love Anya enough to give her the whole wedding and kids and white picket fences? And what was he going to do about Spike? No matter what he decided to do on either count, nothing would be the same and once he made his choice, there'd be no hitting a reset button if it was a mistake.**

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End Ch 1


	2. We All Want

**Old Friends**

Ch 2- We All Want

**Vampires dreamed. That was something that not all people understood. Those, anyway, that knew of vampires in the first place, of course. Just because they were animated corpses run by a demon, didn't mean that they didn't have wants and desires and even needs. They may be rather unfortunate wants and needs from humanity's perspective, but they were just as real for that.**

**Usually being a dreaming vampire was a fun experience. You got to relive past exploits; the killing and the fighting. The blood letting, the raping and the pillaging you'd done over years or decades or centuries. Good times. Sometimes though, a vampire dreamed in the way that their human hosts had once dreamed. Little problems and worries tried to work themselves out in the deep subconscious. Of course, the awoken vampire had no use for such deep meditation and dreams were rarely recalled or worried over.**

**Spike slept deeply as the sun rose higher into the day sky. Next to him, Harmony had wrapped herself around his naked body like a cold shroud. She also was deeply asleep. **

**His dream was progressing in a most pleasurable way. Though outwardly, of course, there were no tell-tale signs. Spike was in the deep recharging sleep that all vampires had to enter in order to keep a body which should by rights be decomposing healthy and usable. There were no sighs coming from his still lips. No shifting or turning of his slab-like body. And there were no signs of the erection one could expect, considering the subject matter of his dreams.**

**_Buffy stood above him as he lay on his bed. A diaphanous rose colored sheet of silk tickled and glided where it touched his bare skin. She was in full Slayer mode; wild and fierce with fire burning in her eyes. She was also topless, which was always a good. Spike was enjoying the view and fighting to remain patient with the fact that her tight jeans had yet to be removed. _**

_**Buffy, for her part, seemed to be unhurried. The smile on her lips was predatory. The sort of smile he'd catch from her when she was getting into a good Slay with whatever baddie had been stupid enough to take her on. She was also raven haired, which was unusual, but he refused to let it concern him. From her lips a cackling laugh that sounded part mad and part delirious issued. It reminded him of Dru and he was happy to have both of them in one body.**_

**_Next to Spike, equally happy with the view, lay Xander Harris. He was also shirtless and his body was muscled and sculpted from the heavy lifting he did at work. He hadn't yet acquired the beer-gut that construction workers seemed destined to get and Spike enjoyed the light sheen of sweat that made the golden skin glisten._**

**_Xander noticed Spike's gaze and smiled at him. There was no concern with each other's nudity. He leaned over toward Spike and kissed him, full on the lips. The kiss was brief and held the heat that Xander felt for Buffy, who continued to strut her nakedness. It reminded Spike of Darla's pecks when their family had engaged in the odd orgy among each other. Even though Spike and Darla had never really got on, she'd make the effort during their group groping to include him in on her attentions. So Xander did now. Spike found himself a little disappointed that the kiss was not hotter, not more directed toward him self._**

_**Buffy had finally done away with the jeans. She allowed her self to be lowered by Spike into his arms. He opened his mouth to tell her that he loved her, when he found him self suddenly looking at Xander instead. The words, starting to flow from his lips, could not be stopped. They flowed out like a river of green lettering and surrounded Xander's head, but he only laughed.**_

**_Spike tried to tell him he meant them for Buffy, but the words were already waved away by Xander. The letters fell to the floor, as if they were mosquito's bodies after having been swatted from the air. _**

_**Spike felt a pang of sadness. The words were used now, and couldn't simply be retrieved and used again. He'd wasted them. Just as he'd once wasted words in poems that weren't worth reading, he'd wasted words on a woman not worth saying them to.**_

_**And just as his poems fell on the ears of those who could not appreciate them, his words now had fallen on the ears of one who would not value them. Spike found his eyes begin to burn, tears falling down ice-cold cheeks like little trails of fire.**_

_**Spike turned back to Buffy, striding his hips. She no longer laughed or smiled. Instead she peered at him with contempt. His confusion grew as she slapped him hard; her hand seemed made of granite. He struggled to understand, to say the right thing that would allow them all to go back to the happiness they'd had just moments ago. **_

**_He turned desperately to Xander, as Buffy disengaged herself from their bed. But he found Xander also weeping bitter tears. Spike stared, more confused than ever. He didn't want the words that Spike had spoken anyway, as the proof lay on the floor around them in glowing green letters. And yet, Xander seemed sad to have lost them._**

**_Spike leaned forward. He sought to comfort the distraught young man and rested his palm against the tear stained cheek. But his hand, grave cold, froze Xander's skin in place until he was nothing but a frost covered statue. Spike yanked his hand away, calling to Xander, apologizing for what he'd done. Only this time when the words reached Xander, they were black and had an inner yellow fire. As they touched his skin, to Spike's horror, Xander simply shattered. His frosty parts fell onto the bed, the floor, they ripped through the silk covering Spike and settled against his skin where they lay unfelt by his own cold skin._**

_**Spike desperately tried to recall how to fix things. They'd been through rough times before, through Spike's betrayals before. Xander and he had always found a way to repair the air between them. This time, though, before Spike could come up with the answer, Buffy was there again. **_

_**Dressed in camouflage green from head to toe and wearing a black beret, she looked like the Initiative soldiers. She looked at the bits of Xander around and on Spike. **_

_**He met her eyes and they were filled with hatred and pain and anger. She pulled out a stake and Spike knew he'd gone too far this time. There would be no time to put things to right.**_

**Spike gasped in his sleep. Coming nearly to consciousness, his senses assured him there were no threats nearby. He resettled and pushed Harmony's draped form off of his own. Turning away from her, he unconsciously moved several inches away from where she lay still and fell back into a deep rest.**

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End Ch2


	3. Appointment

**Old Friends**

Ch 3- Appointment

**A woman sat in a small office, her door open so that she could hear if anyone needed her assistance. She was confident in Sheila's ability to handle showing patrons around, but she was still relatively new here and some customer's could be prickly and demanding.**

**She sat at a desk which was old and beautiful. It was of a dark cherry wood oiled and polished to a gleaming shine in the iridescent lights from the ceiling. The desk was a genuine antique, hand made with loving care in 17th century Philadelphia. It was invaluable and the woman had been offered obscene amounts of money in the past to part with it. The actual owner of the piece however, considered it a most-valued heirloom and had refused to place it on the market, as the rest of the pieces were. She was grateful, as using the desk made her more conscious of the beauty around her.**

**In the main room, Sheila Wining pointed out the pieces that would soon be removed from display. The third Thursdays were especially busy at the gallery as regular collectors knew that this was their last chance to make their decisions on some of the most expensive pieces. Tomorrow would be equally busy as those same collectors returned to see the brand new pieces that would be placed on display. They would want to be the first to have the opportunity to purchase these singular antiques. By keeping the inventory constantly refreshed, Joyce had been able to establish a regular clientele presence in her employer's gallery. Foot traffic had increased by thirty-five percent since she'd taken over management and Gloria Van Ryes now let Joyce basically do whatever she wanted.**

**When the telephone rang, she answered with, "Exotic Antiques and Fineries, Joyce Summers speaking".**

**Unnoticed by the others in the gallery, she stiffened when she heard the familiar voice of Doctor Wains. Of course, this phone call was inevitable but that didn't make it any more welcome. Unnoticed, Joyce's voice dropped to a near whisper though no one was near enough to listen in on the call.**

"**Hello, doctor," Joyce said. Her voice was far more reserved than usual, almost dour.**

"**I have a slot open in the MRI room, Ms. Summers. As you know, I don't believe that we should wait. Can you be here tomorrow, around 2pm?"**

**She agreed to make the appointment, one hand shaking on the desk as the other clutched the phone. His suspicions seemed so far away before, but now she was almost sure that they would be borne out. As if, if he just hadn't called, they could have ignored things and they'd go away on their own. She knew that was silly, she even recognized that her sudden panic was senseless, but right now her heart was overruling the logic that her head tried to use to comfort her. She was scared.**

**After hanging up with the doctor, he reminding her again that she should prepare her daughters in the event that the scan proved positive, she took several deep breaths. When she felt sure that she wasn't going to scream, or possibly collapse into a puddle of hysterics she returned to her paperwork. She had just sold a Japanese Kabuki mask from the late 1800s and had been ecstatic until now. Joyce had a special love for hand-carved masks from all regions of the world and anytime she was able to inspire others to collect them, she felt a particular sense of satisfaction.**

**That was washed away in one phone call from a doctor trying to prepare her for something she didn't want to be prepared for. Her hands began shaking again as she gripped her pen; this time from anger. How dare he interrupt her life this way? How dare he share his vague suspicions and mention the 'C' word to her? How could he understand that she had two girls who needed her? _No, _Joyce raged, _no. I simply refuse to accept this. I am not sick. You will not do this to me,_ she directed out at the universe. _It's all just a mistaken diagnosis._**

**When Sheila approached her mere seconds later to enquire for details on one of the divans, it was all Joyce could do not to explode at her in a torrent of insults. And minutes after that, when she'd realized how much rage she'd had in her moments ago, she was afraid once again. That simply wasn't like her; she didn't get angered easily…concerned and maybe plaintive, but not angry. It bothered her that now she didn't know if it was because of the circumstances; her worry and fear, or if it was the insidiousness of the mutant cells that could be attacking her brain at this very moment.**

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**Tara Maclay swept into her room, a large smile on her face. Her latest test in American History had gone far better than she had expected. Not that she doubted she'd pass, but she hadn't expected to ace it and she was giddy with joy.**

**Dropping her books, she wondered if Willow would be up to celebrating on the town that evening. Poor Willow was even now, by Tara's reckoning, sweating through her Trig exam. Willow was so brainy that everything seemed to come easily to her. And with her genius level ability in algebra and geometry, she found herself flabbergasted when she began having problems with Trig. Of course, it wasn't as if she was taking any old Trig course, but that didn't really matter to Will. If she wasn't acing it, she'd feel like an idiot, no matter how advanced the studies were. Tara had been trying to be supportive for two weeks now, but really, her suggestion that Willow just drop the course and take a lower level math class had been met by apoplexy. Even her suggestion that Willow could take it again when she had more math experience behind her didn't seem to soothe the situation. Sometimes, Tara felt, she could really put her whole leg in her mouth.**

**She decided after several minutes that she could convince Willow to go out, no matter how she thought today's test went. She walked over to her phone to make reservations, but as she went to pick it up, it rang and startled her.**

**She looked at the handset as it rang again. A feeling of foreboding swept through her. She felt like when she was a little girl and a violent thunderstorm was carrying on right above her head. **

**Tara smiled to herself at her silliness and cheerfully answered the phone. Her smile quickly died on her lips and she grew markedly paler.**

"**Tara? It's your father. I know you're busy there, so I'll keep this brief. You're twentieth birthday is coming up. I'm sure we can expect you to be home soon?"**

**Tara stood frozen to the spot, the phone growing heavy in her hand. She didn't know how to answer, so she fell back on her rote response to anything her father said. "Y-yes, sir," escaped her lips before she realized she had spoken.**

"**I-I mean, n-no. I-I have classes, daddy. I can't come home right now."**

"**Well, of course not. I'm not talking immediately. I just want to remind you that times-a-wasting. I know you have a few months yet. Just promise me you'll be especially careful over the coming weeks, Tara."**

"**Oh, I will sir. O-of course."**

"**We don't want you to hurt anyone. I'm sure you wouldn't want that either. I know you sometimes can't help just tossing a glimmer around or doing…something…to make your life there a little easier, like your mother used to do. But, Tara, as your birthday approaches, you're gonna be tempted to do more, to resort to that magic-garbage more often. Now, baby, you have to promise me you'll resist. We don't want everyone around you being infected with your darkness, now do we?"**

"**I-I-…"**

"**Well, I have to go now. There's work to be done around here and some of us don't have time to sit around with our head in a book. You just mind me, girl. You resist that calling you're going to feel until we can get you home where you and everyone around you will be safe. 'Bye, now, honey."**

"**Bye-bye, daddy," Tara said after the dial tone began sounding in her ears. She looked around her room at the spell books and the herbs in their plastic sealing bags. Her eyes noted the number of candles she had in the room and the Wicca symbol for protection hanging above the head rail of her bed. **

**Tara felt sick. She shook slightly and tried to suppress tears of worry. She didn't feel evil or wicked. She felt like a regular woman, except for her ability to summon magic. But her daddy had always told her that her mother had thought the same thing, until the day those magics had consumed her.**

**She'd been seventeen then, and had been staying with her grandmother in another town. Her mother had told her it was so that she wouldn't be stuck with living the same sort of life her mother had been stuck with. It wasn't until after she'd succumbed to illness that her father had explained it was because of the magic. He'd loved Willa with all his heart, but he couldn't get her demon to stop tapping the magical powers she had access to and in the end, he'd explained, the power turned on her as evil always did.**

**Her daddy loved her as well, she was sure. It was hard to tell sometimes, with the way he was always so severe. She reckoned it was because he had to live with the knowledge of what may happen to her someday. If he couldn't keep control of her demon, the very power she tried to use for good could turn on her, too. She'd forgotten that, being surrounded by Willow and the Scoobies. It was so easy to turn to when they were fighting evil and saving people. And she didn't feel any evil from it. Willow didn't seem evil when she cast her spells, either, and she was even more powerful than Tara was. Still, her daddy was so sure…**

**She walked over to the corkboard and ran her finger over a picture of Willow Rosenberg hanging there. She wondered what Willow would do if she suddenly saw the part of her that wasn't human. Willow easily accepted Spike's help, but she wasn't sleeping every night next to the vampire. How would Willow react if she knew Tara had part demon in her? How could she ever be expected to kiss her again, to love her?**

**Tears fell from her eyes down her face as she considered what her life would be like once she had to return home. Even if Willow didn't reject her out of hand for lying this entire time about who…about what…she was, her father would never allow the relationship. Her lesbianism marked her as partly evil as surely as her spell casting did. She'd lose Willow, her friendships here, everything she'd worked so hard for in college. Unless she could find a way to suppress the hidden danger that lurked within her, everything would be ruined.**

**Tara wiped at her eyes and grabbed her purse. Running across the quad of the college grounds, she raced up the stairs of the library to the Myths section. Looking for the books that spoke about demons and magic (as superstition, of course) she began looking for any hints as to how to stop what her father had told her was inevitable. If she could keep the demon in her bound and hidden from view; powerless; she wouldn't have to give up the life she built for herself.**

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End Ch3


	4. A Blast from the Recent Past

**Old Friends**

Ch 4- A Blast from the Recent Past

**Buffy was striding, alert through 'The Fields', one of the many, many cemeteries in Sunnydale. Riley strode at her side and they both looked for signs of fresh graves, depending on her 'Slayer-sense' to let her know which ones contained a soon-to-be-newly-risen vampire.**

**Buffy wasn't altogether happy tonight. And not just because of the name of the place they were in. 'The Fields' were officially known as the 'Strawberry Fields Cemetery'. Although she didn't really care about classic rock, she knew a classic Beatles tune title when she met one and using it for a field of corpses was just tacky in her estimation. She refused to use the cemetery's full name, so it had been reduced to 'The Fields' shortly after she began regular patrols. It seemed like a hundred years ago, now.**

**Her other source of displeasure was her Slaying companion. Riley had been moody since she picked him up at his apartment forty minutes ago. She knew he'd wanted to have dinner together, but when her mom had gotten home from the gallery she seemed extra, well, Buffy didn't want to use the word bitchy. But if she was going to use a word to describe her mother tonight, that would have been it. Apparently Joyce expected a family dinner tonight and Buffy had barely gotten Riley's name out of her mouth before her mother had thrown a…, well, Buffy didn't want to use the words 'childish fit', but…**

**_So, now instead of a pissed off mother, I get a pissed of boyfriend. Lucky me,_ she thought.**

**She looked over toward Riley without turning her head. _Yes, still being a child,_ she sighed under her breath. He was all but marching a little over a foot from her on her right. His jaw was set in what could have been determination, if there was anything to be determined about at the moment. Instead, she concluded he was still being infantile. **

**_Hah! 'Infantile'. I is a college edge-u-mah-cated woman,_ her mind mused.**

**As she looked again, she took in his tight shirt and the way his pants seemed too snug around his waist. Her footsteps faltered slightly as she walked. **

"**Riley? Are you okay?"**

"**I'm fine. Why, are you suddenly remembering I'm your boyfriend?"**

"**Look, I'm sorry about dinner. Jeez, its not my fault mom was in Nazi-mode when she got home."**

"**Which is fine," Riley fumed, "if it wasn't all the time, anymore. I swear the only time we see each other now is either by accident or…never mind."**

"**No, finish the thought. Accident or what?"**

"**I said forget it. Let's just find something for you to beat, alright? Preferably something other than my dick for a change."**

"**What?" Buffy said, incredulous.**

"**I'm not just your sex toy, Buffy. You can't just ride me in lieu of staking something!"**

"**Riley! First off all, I didn't know that having sex with me was such a chore. And second, I'm pretty sure I can go without if it's such a problem for you." Buffy was going to go on with pointing out that he was the one who was always thrusting a hard on in her direction when she came up short. She stared at him, concern on her face.**

"**Riley, you don't look right. You're, like, swollen and you're sweating buckets."**

"**It's nothing. Why don't you save your attention for finding us the bad guys. If I need your medical advice, I'll ask for it."**

"**Okay. Now I know there is something wrong. This is exactly what Xander was talking about, isn't it? Riley, something is going on. You need someone to check this out. You're not acting like yourself."**

"**You mean I'm not acting like I'm pussy-whipped? You mean I'm not just acquiescing to being treated like your personal whore?"**

**Buffy reacted as if he had just slapped her. He'd never taken such a nasty tone with her and he sure didn't throw around words like he was saying now.**

"**What's the matter, Buffy," Riley sneered in her direction. "I thought you liked your men with a little darkness to them."**

"**I don't know what you are talking about. But something is so wrong here."**

"**Oh, come on!" Riley sounded incredulous. "Do we have to go down memory lane? Angel…turns into a psycho murderer and you still can't get enough of him. Dracula? Tried to kill Xander, but that didn't stop you from thrusting your neck in his fanged face. How about that dweeb, Parker? Treated you like shit, and you still wanted to get back with him. Maybe that's been my problem all along. I've been way too nice to you. There must be something in being the Slayer that drives you to want to be used and abused by the men in your life."**

"**I don't know where this is coming from," Buffy said low, getting angry herself. "But this isn't you. You need help."**

"**Actually," a voice said from behind her, "you both do."**

**Spinning around, Buffy was confronted by a gang of five vampires, all in game face. As she tried to gauge how much trouble they were in, a grunt sounded from behind her along with the sounds of a body hitting the ground hard.**

**She spun around again to see Riley on the ground. Atop him a vampire was stretching toward his throat. His arms were pinned under him by the creature's superior strength and its element of surprise. Buffy yelled Riley's name and attacked, kicking the vampire in the face. As the thing rolled off Riley, and before she could turn back toward the other gang, a hand shot from behind a mausoleum. With their argument going on, she hadn't noticed that they'd wandered right into an ambush!**

**She strained to turn enough to keep her attacker from her neck, only to find the hand was green and clawed. The demon, and it wasn't a vampire, unless he'd gotten moldy, smelled faintly of a leather factory. From her peripheral vision, she knew it was far taller than she and was wearing a silver metal armor thingie on its chest. Turning more forcefully, she froze into inaction as she saw the clawed arm was attached to Adam.**

"**No," she whispered in shock. And then she was sailing through the air as he tossed her like a rag doll. She heard Riley call her name before slamming headfirst through a vertical gravestone, snapping the granite tablet in half.**

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**Riley was confused. He didn't seem to be in control of his mouth or his emotions as he shouted at Buffy. They were horrible things; things that he would never even consider saying under normal circumstances. He wanted to apologize, but his mouth just kept moving, trying to cut her down.**

**It was a relief when interruption had come in the form of a gang of attacking vamps. Before they could properly react, however, Riley had found himself pinned to the ground. Somehow, they'd let themselves be ambushed. **

**He was pissed at Buffy for that too. Her stupid Slayer powers were supposed to detect vampires!**

**Once he felt the weight of the thing off of him, he immediately sprang to his feet. He'd grabbed the thing by its filthy and ratty coat and punched it square in the face, knocking it back down. **

**Riley yanked a stake out of his cargo pants pocket, but hesitated when he'd seen the face of his attacker. It was Dr. Somebody-or-another; one of the Initiative scientists!**

**He didn't know why, but he immediately felt a jab of fear and spun to warn Buffy. He knew even before seeing him that Adam's animated remains would be here. And he was. He yelled out to Buffy as he saw her fly at least six feet away, slamming hard into a gravestone.**

**He didn't have time to check her condition. Science-guy was once again on the attack, jumping on his back and grabbing at his face. Riley could only watch helplessly, yelling a warning to Buffy as Adam stalked his way toward where she'd landed. The vampire-scientists nails were raking at his face, and Riley had to re-focus on his own problem in order to save his eyes.**

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**Buffy pulled her self up from the ground, grimacing with the full body ache of her landing. She used the broken edge of the gravestone to steady herself. When she looked, she found Adam and the five vampires all approaching, looking for Slayer blood. **

**She spared a quick glance for Riley, but he was already tangled up in his own fight. Backing away, she judged her attack strategy and then charged at the Cyber-demon. As Adam made a grab for her, Buffy jumped and kicked off of his broad chest to land in the thick of the vampire gang. **

**She flashed in a blur of movement, staking two immediately. As the others tried to grab her, she executed a flurry of punches and kicks. By that time, Adam had rejoined her attackers and Buffy forearmed him to the face twice before he managed to punch her.**

**She felt the ragged edge of something puncture her abdomen and as Adam withdrew his fist to hit her again, she saw the remains of the Pulgara skewer she'd broken off of him. It was dripping with her blood.**

**Adam punched forward, aiming for her head. Using her superior flexibility, she was able to dodge under the arm. She swung her fist up into Adam's face, noting its particularly dried and shrunken look. It appeared that the once human flesh had been freeze dried and preserved. The eyes were deeply sunken and didn't appear to allow him any sort of sight. She also noticed that he produced no sounds. No grunts, no taunting, no world-dominating philosophy lessons…nothing. Finally, he moved stiffly; more robotic than humanoid.**

**Buffy was piecing the puzzle of his return together, and managing to avoid more half-hearted punches when she was tackled by two of the other vampires. She saw Riley racing toward her, apparently having dealt with his attacker, but he was too far away to save her. **

**The vampires tried to pin her to the ground, holding her in place as Adam came along side them. She watched as he raised his heavy foot above her head. Just before he could smash her skull in with a solid stomp, she managed to shake off one vampire. **

**Going into a side-roll, the other vampire was yanked with her, still holding her arm. Adam's powerful foot crashed down on the vamp's arm, snapping the bone with ease and causing a cry of pain from it.**

**Buffy kicked her other 'holder', the one she'd shook off, in the face and then leapt to her feet. Riley joined her and they presented a united front against their foes. As both once again tried to get Adam out of the fight with a series of kicks and punches, the sound of a vampire ashing could be heard.**

**Buffy glanced over to see Spike in hand to hand with the one remaining vampire. The snapped-arm guy could be seen running for all he was worth, disengaging from the fight. She returned her attention to her own fight just in time to receive a solid blow to the forehead, splitting the skin and causing a rush of blood into her eyes. **

**As she hit the ground, Riley raked his fingers towards Adam's eyes. Though he connected solidly, the Cyber-demon didn't so much as flinch. Riley was grabbed around the waste and bear-hugged into the metal plating of the demon's body armor. He half-panted/half-groaned as he felt himself lose the ability to draw breath in the big creature's grip.**

**Behind him, Buffy was grabbing at Adam's arms, trying to get him to loosen his death clinch. From behind her, the sounds of Spike and the last vampire fighting could be heard.**

**Then without a by-your-leave, Adam let go of Riley. He shoved Buffy to the side and engaged Spike. Grabbing the vampire, he threw him, as he had Buffy. Spike slammed into a mausoleum door and slumped to the ground. **

**As Buffy tried to come up with another attack plan, Adam grabbed the sole remaining vampire and as she watched, he ran. Carrying the bloodsucker, Adam took off at a run she couldn't hope to match on her best day, never mind when she was beaten up.**

**She watched with one eye wide and unbelieving, the other sticky with blood running down from her forehead as the bad guys ran away, despite Adam's superior strength. **

"**Huh?" She said.**

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End Ch4


	5. Blow Out

**Old Friends:**

Ch 5- Blow Out

**Buffy and Riley stood gazing in the direction that Adam had vanished to. She still couldn't believe that he'd disengaged when he'd had them at such a disadvantage. A quick glance at Riley told her that he was puzzling out the same thing.**

**"That was weird," she said. Grimacing, she tugged at her top. When Riley saw her injury, he immediately bent to one knee to get a closer look.**

**"You're hurt. It looks like a puncture wound."**

**"Yeah. It was his Polgara stake thingie from the wrist. I should have broken it a bit higher up the first time around."**

**"We need to get you home and get this packed and bandaged. That cut on your head isn't looking real great either."**

**"I'm fine," Buffy said, "I want to know how the hell they got him up and walking around without a uranium core."**

**"Well, we'll figure that one out later after I stop him," Riley said.**

**Buffy was still musing on Adam's appearance. She brushed his hands away from her abdomen in irritation. "He wasn't…there was something strange with him. I mean, before Adam couldn't keep his mouth shut, this time he was silent. And his skin? It was…it was like he'd been captured by headhunters and they did that shrunken head thing to him."**

**"Giles and Willow can figure out everything after I get him," Riley repeated. "Can you make it home? I'll track him down and take him out for good."**

**"Don't be stupid, Riley! Whether he's himself or some kinda zombie now, you saw what he did to me! He's too strong for you take on by yourself."**

**Spike had managed to regain consciousness moments before. As Buffy was just telling Riley not to be stupid, he wandered up. He peered closely at her, concerned with the gut wound she was sporting and seeing half of her face bathed in blood. Riley in the meantime grabbed his baton from one of his cargo pockets. He extended it now and pointed it toward her, accentuating his words.**

**"Oh, yeah, I forgot. You're the 'Slayer'; let all men feel inadequate before you."**

**"Oh my God! Did you just wake up this morning and turn into a twelve year old? Or is this another temper tantrum because of whatever is going on with this whole puffy-man thing? Look, you know what? I don't have time to argue with you. I'm bleeding here, in case you didn't notice. You're going to the hospital tomorrow. We're going to find out what the hell is going on with your muscles; and your attitude."**

**"Don't tell me what to do," Riley raged. "You're not my fucking baby sitter! I was a soldier long before you came along and I can take care of myself!"**

**Buffy's anger evaporated as she realized that Riley looked even more swollen than before. His biceps, chest, and waist were distended until his skin looked like it would split. At the same time, sweat literally flew off of him in fat drops every time he moved. And he was constantly moving as he was literally shaking and shivering in front of her. Xander hadn't mentioned that Riley looked like he was going to explode nor his sudden temper. Whatever was happening, it seemed to be getting worse; and fast.**

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**Spike couldn't believe his luck. All of his scheming to find a way to get between the two of them, and here they were self-destructing. And he hadn't had to do a thing! He couldn't keep the smirk from his face as he watched his chances with Buffy triple or hell quintuple in front of him. Riley was looking like he was ready to fly apart at the seams and Spike began running through a scenario in his head where he would be there to comfort the grieving Slayer. Of course, comfort would quickly turn to romance.**

**Being Spike, he also couldn't keep his mouth shut. "Like you protected your bird, wanker? Adam almost shish-kabobbed her! Where the hell were you when she needed you?"**

**Riley spun on his heel and Spike felt but never saw the wood baton smash into his face. His nose exploded in a torrent of blood and he felt the cartilage snap under the force of the blow. He hit the ground on his back, a mushroom cloud of pain blossoming between his eyes.**

**Unable to think or react, Riley was on him before he could do anything. He saw the cargo-lad raise the now snapped half of the baton over his head. Spike's entire being was focused on the lethal ragged point of the ruined baton. Riley's arm stroked downward and Spike knew he was dust. He'd finally pushed his luck over the edge.**

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**Buffy grabbed Riley's wrist as his down-stroke took the jagged edge of his broken baton within inches of Spike's vulnerable chest. Later, she'd wonder why the hell she'd bothered, but at the moment things were moving too quickly for her to think. Plus the whole bleeding and pain thing was taking up a lot of her attention.**

**"Riley, don't!"**

**Riley reacted by snapping his arm from her grasp. With him forearming her, she fell hard to the ground, biting her lip to keep from screaming as her abdomen wound let her know it was still there and still wanted attention.**

**She looked up and found Riley practically blowing steam out of his nose and ears. His eyes blazed with rage and the sweat that had been a torrent before was now a Noah-sized flood. Every word he yelled was accented with spittle and she wasn't sure he even realized what he was doing anymore.**

**"Get off of me you bitch! You know, for being the Slayer you sure do spend a lot of time defending them!"**

**"Riley, calm down! Can't you see you're out of control?"**

**"The only thing wrong with me is that you keep stopping me from doing to Spike what you should have already done a long time ago! And now that we're 'talking', your whole need to control me instead of letting me do what I've been trained to do is really pissing me off, too!"**

**Riley felt his heart slamming against his ribs. He was light headed from the water he was losing through his sweat and every muscle in his body was burning unpleasantly. He chest hurt like a knife was plunging, withdrawing, and plunging again into his heart and lungs. He could hear himself breathing heavily in and out and some tiny rational portion of his mind thought of a raging bull.**

**Taking a ragged breath, he could feel himself struggling not to kick Buffy while she lay on the ground. He knew that he was in the right, but he didn't really want to hurt her. He wouldn't have hit her, if she'd just kept her hands off him. "Screw this shit," he spit at her before stomping off.**

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**Buffy struggled to her feet, watching Riley storm off. She was shaking from head to toe, but whether from blood loss or adrenaline or just plain fear she didn't know. She never, in a million years, would have thought he'd try to strong arm her; especially when she was already hurt. And his raging? It was like he'd become another man altogether. One who was way more terrifying than any demon. **

**Tears pricked her eyes, but she refused to give in to the impulse to cry. She had to get herself patched up. Dawnie and her mom were going to be basket cases when they saw her, and Giles would no doubt be doubling her martial arts training once she was healed. **

**She put her hand to her forehead and brought back fresh blood on her fingers. She was still bleeding from the cut on her head, but it wasn't bad. The bleeding from her abdomen had also slowed to a trickle. _Slayer healing finally doing its thing,_ she thought with relief. _There's no amount of washing that's going to save these pants or my top, though._**

**Spike walked up to her, his nose swollen and misshapen. "Looks like muscle-boy's finally lost his mind, huh? So…guess this means you two are exes now, yeah?"**

**Buffy glared at him. Bringing up a fist, she hit him deliberately in the nose that was clearly broken. She watched with just a trace of satisfaction as he bellowed to the ground and blacked out.**

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**Once Buffy had returned home and after getting Joyce calmed down, she was able to get the story out about what had happened tonight. She called Giles and warned him that Adam was once again up and running, including the information that he seemed to be more of a robot than before. No, he didn't have a core, she could still see the hole in his guts where she'd pulled it out before. Yes, he was still just as strong and he seemed faster now. She'd never seen him run before, but the way he took off he was probably hitting forty or fifty miles an hour. She told him that he seemed to be protecting the vampires, like he might have been under their control.**

**After returning upstairs to her mother's room where her and Dawn were waiting, she set to packing and bandaging her wounds. Dawn assisted her with taping up the cut on her head, while her mother insisted on helping her wind bandages around her middle. As they worked, Buffy told them everything she'd noticed about Riley.**

**"It wasn't just mental or emotional. It was physical, too. He was so pumped up, like I've never seen him even after working out. I mean, this was just…wrong."**

**"Like the Incredible Hulk," Dawn asked.**

**"Kind of, I guess. But way more scary."**

**"Well, we need to get him help, obviously," Joyce offered. "You need to make him go to the hospital, Buffy. Force him if you have to."**

**Buffy shrugged. "I don't think they could help, mom. This is definitely wonky Initiative science at work. And I don't know how to get in touch with them anymore."**

**"What about the army base outside of town," Joyce wondered. "I mean, isn't the Initiative part of the army, or was anyway?"**

**"I don't know. I don't trust the military guys. There's already too many of them now that know I'm the Slayer. I don't think I want to show up on their turf."**

**"Yeah, mom," Dawn said. "You can't trust the government. Their always doing shady things. Trying to topple governments or assassination attempts on Castro and stuff."**

**Joyce frowned at Dawn before addressing Buffy again. "Well, you have to try something Buffy. We can't just wait around to see if Riley completely melts down."**

**"You know, just because the Initiative isn't active here anymore, doesn't mean they're not keeping tabs on Riley," Dawn mused. "They probably have hidden microphones all over the place. That's the kind of stuff that black ops do all the time," she nodded sagely.**

**Joyce looked at Dawn with a mixture of disturbance and amusement. "When did you become an anti-government radical?"**

**Dawn shrugged. "Oh, we're studying the things Nixon did that got him impeached in History. And, well, I started to surf the internet and I found all these conspiracies. I mean, some of them are just stupid. Like how supposedly NASA faked the moon walks. I mean, how could that have been faked when the President is using the shuttle missions to build a giant laser on the moon to target China and the Middle East?"**

**"Actually," Buffy said, "scary as it sounds, I think Dawn is making some sense." In response to Dawn's self-pleased expression, she added, "But not about the laser thing; that's just nuts. But if the Initiative is keeping tabs on Riley or the rest of us, I bet they have his phone tapped. I gotta run, mom."**

**"Wait just a minute! Buffy you're hurt."**

**"I know, but it's not really as bad as it looks. Believe me, Slayer healing will have it fixed in two, three days tops. Meanwhile, Riley is running around out there half out of his head with his body doing all kinds of bizarro-world stuff. I've gotta get him help…now."**

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**Buffy opened the door to Riley's apartment. She half hoped and half feared that he'd be home. After entering the place and finding it empty, she felt tears prick at her eyes again. There was no telling where he was, or in what shape. She remained afraid that he'd go after Adam on his own, or that whatever was happening to his body would end up fatal before she could get him help.**

**She walked over to the kitchen phone hanging on the wall. Picking it up, she tried to hear any sort of clicking. She saw in a movie once that if you were being bugged, your phone clicked. All she could hear was a dial tone, however.**

**Taking a deep breath and swallowing over the lump in her throat, she listened a moment to the plaintive dial tone. Finally she said into it, "I don't know if you're there. If you are, Riley is in trouble. It's bad. I can't help him."**

**The phone went into a series of beeping, complaining that she had the device off the hook, but hadn't punched any numbers. There was no indication that anyone was there, but she didn't know what else to do.**

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End Ch5

_**Spanderverse Series:**_

To Dream

After 314

Spike

Dracula

Burial

Confusion of Three

Preludes

Tensions


End file.
